The Forgotten Warrior/Chapter 9
Chapter description :Jayfeather shivers as a cold wind hits him, wanting to leave his dream, but before he can, Yellowfang appears. Jayfeather demands why she chose here to talk, and Yellowfang replies that it was so no one could hear them. The old medicine cat tells Jayfeather that he must recruit another medicine cat, but not train an apprentice; an already trained medicine cat residing in ThunderClan. Jayfeather is confused, and states that Leafpool is not a medicine cat anymore and that the two of them have no control over that. Yellowfang agrees that what Leafpool did was wrong, breaking the medicine cat code in the process and eliminating her training, but she warns Jayfeather that he should not underestimate the depth of her punishment as she's forbidden to use her knowledge despite working so hard to achieve it. :Jayfeather is frustrated and remembers that Yellowfang gave birth to a kit, so out loud, he hisses that that's like punishing a whole Clan for one cat's mistake. Yellowfang somberly states that it was a grave mistake. Jayfeather wonders out loud who is the other medicine cat, and comes to the conclusion that it isn't Briarlight or Brightheart, since they haven't had any real training and Brightheart has never even been to the Moonpool. Yellowfang lashes her tail and rasps that he should know who she means, and explains that ThunderClan has a third medicine cat: Cinderheart. She tells Jayfeather to explain to her who she really is, but Jayfeather questions Yellowfang by asking if Cinderheart will believe him. Yellowfang responds by saying that if he walks in her dreams, yes, she will; take her back to the life she had before, and all the knowledge is there, but she just has to reach out for it to get it. :Jayfeather steps back and tells Yellowfang that Cinderpelt was her apprentice, but he has to train her. Yellowfang rolls her eyes and yowls that he won't need to train her, and that she knows more than he does and just needs to remember who she really is. Jayfeather bristles and snaps that he'll think about it. Yellowfang mews that he should make sure he does or she'll come into the young warrior's dreams herself. Jayfeather, in his thoughts, thinks that Yellowfang would scare Cinderheart out of her fur, and can't imagine anything more scary and unsettling than Yellowfang, a stranger to Cinderheart, intruding on a dream of hers. :Jayfeather reluctantly tells the former medicine cat that he'll do it. Yellowfang turns to leave but adds that he has to be ready for the worst battle the Clans have ever faced, and that one medicine cat will not be enough, and suddenly Jayfeather then wakes up to blackness. Jayfeather hears Brambleclaw's voice outside the den, ordering patrols. He also hears Cherrypaw's paw-steps and her loud call, calling Sol over to watch their training and Molepaw adds that he has a really cool battle move that he wants to show him. Cherrypaw's, Molepaw's, and Sol's scents are mingled outside the bramble screen of the medicine den when Jayfeather stands up. Rosepetal and Cloudtail, who are mentoring the apprentices, scold them. :Sol them comes over and tells the apprentices that they were kind to ask, but he has other things to do, but he wants a full report on the session when he returns. Briarlight drags herself up to him being mistakenly called Brightheart, and asks if she can speak to Sol, but Jayfeather tells her that he can't heal her back. Briarlight huffs that she wasn't hoping for that. Jayfeather snaps that he's nothing special, but Briarlight reminds him that Sol was the one who saved Cherrypaw and Molepaw from the fox. Suddenly, Daisy calls out to Jayfeather, asking if he can take a look at Sorreltail. The medicine cat asks if there is something wrong. Daisy admits that she isn't sure, but tells him that he is the medicine cat; though she's seen a lot of cats close to giving birth, she doesn't like the look of Sorreltail. :Jayfeather sees Sorreltail upon entering the den. The tortoiseshell warrior states that he didn't need to come and that she is fine. Jayfeather mutters that he isn't sure about that. The medicine cat says out loud that she's trying to do too much; she is less than half a moon away from giving birth, and her warrior duties are tiring her out. Sorreltail begins to object, but Jayfeather interrupts by stating that whether she likes it or not, she's older now than she was then; she needs to slow down to give herself a chance to be in good health. Jayfeather then probes Sorreltail's thoughts: the badger is breaking into the nursery as her first litter of kits is born is all she is thinking about. :He sees Cinderpelt leap bravely to save her, sacrificing herself in the process. Jayfeather hears the wail of a kit as Cinderpelt's life is taken away. Jayfeather shivers and remembers what Yellowfang told him. Sorreltail suddenly starts to talk and admits that Jayfeather is right. The medicine cat thanks her, saying she made the right decision. Daisy nudges Sorreltail to her feet and leads her to the nursery, saying that she and Ferncloud had made her a perfect comfy nest and they would love her company. Back in the clearing, Jayfeather searches for Cinderheart and wonders what he is possibly going to say. He picks up Birchfall's scent, and Jayfeather asks the warrior if he is busy, and the warrior replies that he isn't and wonders if he wants anything. :Jayfeather tells him that he wants Cinderheart and if he finds her, tell her that he wants a word with her. Birchfall agrees to help and pads off. Jayfeather takes in the scents around him but with frustration he comes to the conclusion that she is out on patrol. Jayfeather suddenly hears a voice asking if he is looking for Cinderheart: Leafpool. Jayfeather admits that he does want to see Cinderheart, and Leafpool says she wants to talk to him first. Jayfeather hesitates, as he is unwilling to discuss Cinderheart with his mother, but reluctantly agrees. :Leafpool tells him that they should go into the forest, since they shouldn't be overheard on with such an important matter. She murmurs that she had a dream the night before; Spottedleaf came to her and told her that Yellowfang wants to tell Cinderheart about who she was before. Leafpool meows loudly with a surge of emotion that Yellowfang can't, because if she is told about Cinderpelt and her connection, she will be robbed of the chance to be a warrior and maybe a mother. Leafpool goes on by stating that she was Cinderpelt's apprentice and she knew her well; she longed to be a warrior and have a mate, but her accident on the Thunderpath ruined that chance, and in spite of that, she was a good medicine cat, one of ThunderClan's best, so she doesn't want her life taken away from her again. :Jayfeather argues that the Clan has to come first, and more medicine cats are needed. Leafpool is silent. At last, she breaks the silence by saying that individual cats are important, too; in theory, he could take an apprentice, maybe Briarlight. Jayfeather, exasperated, is sarcastic and meows that with a medicine cat that can't walk and another who can't see, ThunderClan would be invincible. Leafpool tells her son that she knows he can see more than the rest of the Clan, but Cinderheart deserves a different life this time. She gets up and walks away. Jayfeather stays under the tree to think. He does admit that Leafpool has a point. Jayfeather slowly returns to camp, but sees Cinderheart. She meows that Birchfall said he was looking for her. The medicine cat takes a deep breath and says that it isn't important and can wait until another day. Characters Major *Jayfeather Minor *Cherrypaw *Molepaw *Rosepetal *Cloudtail *Sol *Daisy *Sorreltail *Birchfall *Leafpool *Cinderheart }} Mentioned *Brightheart *Cinderpelt *Brambleclaw *Lionblaze *Spottedleaf Errors *Briarlight is mistakenly called Brightheart. Notes and references Category:Chapter subpages Category:The Forgotten Warrior Category:Omen of the Stars arc